Are you dancing around the idea of learning to code?

From Non-Fraud Investigator to Technical Support Engineer, Extra Card

"Nucamp was the full package; Decent price and great reviews. So I said, "Why not?" and signed up."

This is Alejandro Figueroa, a Nucamp Full Stack Bootcamp graduate and now a Technical Support Engineer at Extra Card.

Alejandro likes to spend his free time dancing with friends.

Ballroom-Latin style dancing is their favorite way to connect and get out together.

His love of dancing has also made him want to prioritize finding a career that was the right rhythm for his life.

As a non-fraud investigator for a credit card company, Alejandro was left feeling out of sync.

Alejandro wanted to find a field he could devote his career to.

He had many friends that were engineers–full stack, mechanical, aerospace, and industrial–that all really enjoyed their profession.

This got Alejandro asking himself, "What was stopping me from becoming an engineer?"

He enjoyed problem solving and building things, so getting into coding might just be the show that fits.

Alejandro started off by looking into coding bootcamps since knew he would need extra support starting without any computer science background.

He required the lead and guidance of a real instructor, while being able to ask questions.

Most coding bootcamps were extremely expensive being $10,000+ and he couldn't afford that kind of financial misstep on a job he wasn't sure he was going to commit to yet or not.

Alejandro thankfully came across Nucamp and was happy to find that he could lean into a new career possibility without a huge financial burden.

This way there wasn't a risk to him trying out coding and if he realized it wasn't for him, he could bow out anytime with peace of mind.

"Through this journey I learned whatever I put my mind to, I achieve. I am more ambitious and self-driven than I thought before taking the bootcamp."

Describe your job search process.

Alejandro sent out many applications, maybe 400 or more.

He was able to secure about 20 interviews and went back to update his resume twice after realizing what would be most beneficial to highlight after his initial interviews.

Alejandro was proud of being able to get to 5 different second round interviews, 2 third stage interviews, and lastly securing his official offer–all without background in CS.

Tell me about a moment of doubt or difficulty and how did you overcome it?

There were many times of doubt for Alejandro as imposter syndrome continuously liked to waltz in unannounced.

While taking his Nucamp coding bootcamp, Alejandro's imposter syndrome would make him feel he didn't know what he was doing.

He had a moment of clarity when an instructor told him how great his work was.

Alejandro made sure to keep reminding himself that others can see he is doing well, he isn't a fraud.

"When you have imposters syndrome, ask yourself this: you are either the best actor in the whole universe, or you know what you are doing. You and I both know you are not the best actor."

What advice do you have for people who are thinking about attending a bootcamp, but haven't yet registered?

"What's stopping you?" What's holding you back?" Absolutely nothing except yourself, so go ahead and sign up for it. Don't let society tell you what you can and can't do. If someone else is stopping you, or a degree to get in, don't listen to it. At the end of the day, if you have skills for it, you can get anything you want.""

What advice do you have for people who have already started the bootcamp and they are just about to finish Bootstrap?

"Don't stop there. React is going to look like a hot jumbled mess, but that's okay. Life is a hot jumbled mess too, and we get through it. "